Republican Florida Already Missed the Boat on Rail Money: A Boon for California?

[JeffreyS]

Do you know what this MEANS? It means all the liberarls who wanted HSR can finally live in peaceful harmony together with HSR in California. I'll help you pack.

To BT maybe Faye is onto something. Sorry Stephen.

[mtraininjax]

Mtrain, I know you like to see things in a kind of partisan way, but what is conservative about spending hundreds of billions of dollars of public taxdollars on Highways?

Stephen, I could care less about the roads, I don't think we need more roads. I'd rather take the 2 billion and expand our seaports, cause LORD knows, there was no money in the budget for ports in Florida. Not even Miami got their money to deepen their channel, and they are the logical choice.

Scott has the right priorities, and seaports will generate much more in "trickle down" wealth for all involved, from the cafe owner who serves the truck drivers, to the people who help build NEW rail to the ports. So even though we don't get an HSR, we still see consistent, sizeable growth. 71,000 jobs is mere pittance to the jobs created through expanding the ports around the state, or if we are greedy, our own port for that matter.

[FayeforCure]

Do you know what this MEANS? It means all the liberarls who wanted HSR can finally live in peaceful harmony together with HSR in California. I'll help you pack.

Ahh, the old "If you don't like it, MOVE!" tactic.

Goes along nicely with the "If you think differently than I do, you're an idiot" tactic.

No, we actually LIKE people who think differently, remember that melting pot idea we are so fond of........ie the tolerance for different ideas that could benefit us as a whole ( like seeing what they've done in Europe with their HSR), ................what we really despise is the so-called leaders, that use lies to justify regressive policies, and their ignorant enablers: the uninformed and misinformed electorate.

We could have avoided this, had we all worked hard to keep crook Scott out of office. Maybe we can now work together to get him recalled.

And a Stephen says, good ideas come from all THINKING people, conservative or liberal. That's why so many Republican lawmakers are equally upset with Rick Scott for his unilateral ideologically driven decision.

[mtraininjax]

What are you proposing exactly?

Well we sure as heck are not going to move freight with HSR, are we?

The expansion plans at JaxPort are not predicated on HSR, are they? Did I miss something? Tom Slade told me a few years back that every major new road would need to be a toll road. Just not enough money from the state to build major new roads. Opportunity for SunPass to expand to other roads.

I can't say anything about what Miami or Tampa are planning for their expansion plans, but the CSX extension of track to the port is something that JaxPort was already planning. The expansion of Hecksher is already underway, none of this was predicated on HSR. We are growing our economic base in NE Florida regardless of what HSR plans were, and rightly so. We don't need it or want HSR in NE Florida, it does absolutely nothing for our economic base.

[mtraininjax]

We could have avoided this, had we all worked hard to keep crook Scott out of office. Maybe we can now work together to get him recalled.

I am reminded of the bumper stickers that came out after Gore/Lieberman lost "Sore Loser".

[mtraininjax]

So then we destroy the trucking industry?

Do you want to destroy the trucking industry? Did I write we will destroy the trucking industry?

[mtraininjax]

You seem to be pretending that we arent going to spend any money on highways, because we are spending the money on Ports instead.

Stephen - When was the last time you were on Heckscher Drive? If its been a while, I suggest you take it from 95 to 9a and see the improvements to turn the old 2-lane road to 4-lanes. Once the trucks go from the JaxPort area and hit 9a/95, what new roads do you plan to create? More jobs will come from having Post-Panamax ships arrive at our ports, than if we had HSR in our area. HSR would have done NOTHING for Jax, absolutely nothing.

I'd rather the President allow the State to use the 2 billion on transportation initiatives as it sees fit. Won't happen, but still I think Tallahassee knows what citizens need in our state than Washington DC. After all Washington DC thinks everyone in the state NEEDS healthcare and how is that going for us? State thumbed its nose at DC on Medicare program too. Do you see a pattern here? Don't fight the tape.

[mtraininjax]

So you agree that money is going to be spent on highways whether or not port improvements are implemented.

In other words the issues of Port Improvements and land based transportion are completely separate?

Not according to our governor....

"Rather than investing in a high-risk rail project, we should be focusing on improving our ports, rail and highway infrastructure to be in a position to attract the increased shipping that will result when the Panama Canal is expanded, when the free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama are ratified and with the expansion of the economies of Central and South America," Scott said in a news release. "By capturing a larger share of containerized imports entering our seaports, expanding export markets for Florida businesses, and emerging as a global hub for trade and investment, we can create up to an additional 143,000 jobs, according to a recent chamber of commerce study.”

Looks like he wants to improve ports, rail and highway to benefit the Post-Panamax revolution.

[FayeforCure]

Transportation minded folks knew that "electing" a Republican governor could spell trouble for Florida's High Speed Rail. Today, many Republicans who had been silent are now fighting to save High Speed Rail for Florida, Hooray for that!

PRESS RELEASE
THE HONORABLE CORRINE BROWN
THIRD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  February 25th, 2011

Congresswoman Brown:  Rick Scott Puts Florida Jobs on High Speed Train to California

(Washington, DC) Congresswoman Brown delivered the following statement:

“Today is a very sad day for the state of Florida.  As the Ranking Member of the House Railroad subcommittee, I am more than disappointed in the Florida’s governor’s decision to return $2.4 billion in funding for a high speed rail system.  Just yesterday, Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica and I attended a previously scheduled listening tour to obtain input from Americans nationwide on the upcoming six year Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill.  The hearing, which was jointly held with Senator Barbara Boxer and attended by several Members of the California congressional delegation, was widely attended and attracted a great deal of interest in the Los Angeles area.  Sadly, I must admit that many of the California delegation members thanked Congressman Mica and me profusely for the high speed rail money Florida Governor Scott is about to hand over to their state.  It was extremely painful for me to hear these types of remarks, as well as to physically be, ironically, in California at the same time our governor is working hard to give away over $2 billion in high speed rail funding destined for our state.

Unfortunately, Florida’s governor is much more interested in politics than in creating jobs or improving the transportation system for Florida residents.  And his decision will not do anything to bring down Florida’s 12% unemployment rate.  Indeed, the high speed rail plan for Florida served as a true example of a successful public-private partnership and would have created as many as 60,000 private sector jobs; yet because of the governor’s decision, it will never have a chance to get off the ground.

I sincerely wish that Florida’s leadership had a similar mind set as those governing the state of California.  In fact, not only has California proven to be a willing, enthusiastic partner with the federal government, but they have already created the bonding capacity to help make high speed rail a reality.

It is more than sad that California and likely a few other states will also receive the tens of thousands of high quality high speed rail private sector related jobs previously headed to Florida, as well as the improved transportation and infrastructure capacity to move California residents more efficiently, that we also desperately need in Florida.

On Tuesday, I was in Salt Lake City, Utah, to see that city’s light and commuter rail system.  This system, a light rail system known as “TRAX,” serves the entire Salt Lake Valley and serves an estimated 40,000 passengers daily.

Interestingly enough, this system was also initially funded by money ($300 million) returned to the federal government from the state of Florida.  Indeed, in the late 1990s after the state rejected federal transit funds destined for a Central Florida light rail system, the funding was later redirected to the SLC Valley.

Indisputably, President Obama and Transportation Secretary LaHood have done everything possible to make high speed rail a success for the state of Florida.  

Every single request made by the state, every concern, every issue â€" was addressed and remedied by the Department of Transportation.   His decision today is a perfect example of the Biblical verse: ‘when there is no vision, the people perish.’”

I would like to thank President Obama, Vice President Biden, Senator Nelson, Congresswoman Castor and Congressman Mica for all their hard work in trying to secure high speed rail for the state of Florida. I would also like to thank all of the stakeholders throughout the state of Florida for their efforts to make high speed rail an option for the state.”

http://transportationnation.org/2011/02/25/more-criticism-rains-down-on-scott-from-fl-officials-for-killing-high-speed-rail/

[thelakelander]

To tell the truth, I don't expect Rick Scott to change his mind.  However, I do hope the extra week is long enough for legislators to file a suit against him to keep that HSR money right here in Florida.  I'm still having a hard time understanding how one guy can come in and kill decades of planning, after spending only 40 days in office and not even looking at updated studies.

I know there are several on our site that favor killing the plan and sending the $2.4 billion to another state, before allowing the private sector to bid with their own studies and numbers, but such an act would be devastating for rail funding at the state and federal levels for Florida over the next decade. 

While we should continue to work on local funding mechanisms, Imo, it's imperative that we take advantage of the Obama adminstration's view towards rail while they are in office.  Things run in cycles, so if we don't strike within the next couple of years, we'll most likely be waiting another term or two for a federal administration with similar views to access federal funding assistance.

So, I commend all of the legislators and officials (both Republican and Democrat) that are giving Scott hell to keep the money in Florida.

[JeffreyS]

Even the people I have talked to who think it is a bad idea think it is wrong to kill HSR a few weeks before the private sector is allowed to bid.